Fisker revives Tesla tussle with radical EMotion

Las Vegas - Henrik Fisker unveiled this flashy new electric car on Tuesday, in a rebooted effort by the renowned car designer to take on Tesla and other premium car companies.

The Fisker EMotion, which made its debut at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, is part of a comeback effort for Henrik Fisker, a former BMW and Aston Martin designer whose first venture was halted in 2013 after selling only a few thousand vehicles.

This time the new Fisker company is pulling out all the stops to ensure the success of its new vehicle, which will be priced at $129 000 (R1.6m) in the US.

The EMotion boasts butterfly doors and a sleek sportscar look, semi-autonomous driving, and a range of some 650 kilometers on a single charge. No output figures have been released as yet, but the vehicle is said to have a top speed of around 260km/h.

The car, which is still two years away from deliveries, "is a new take on the future of a luxury sedan," Fisker told AFP on the CES show floor.

Fisker said the features such as the extended driving range "will make even people sitting on the fence (about electric cars) look at it."

The new effort nonetheless faces an uphill battle in an industry where Tesla is showing rapid growth and other rivals from major carmakers to startups - including one other making a debut at the tech show - are producing new electric cars.

Fisker is also working on its own battery technology aimed at improving range and speeding the charging time.

He hopes to have a charging system that can enable an extra 200km in nine minutes.

The company is also working on a solid state battery that Fisker maintained could achieve a full charge in one minute.

Taking on Tesla

Like Tesla, Fisker is also working on a more affordable vehicle that would be priced around $40 000 (R500 000). And it has designed a self-driving shuttle bus called the Orbit that could also launch in the next few years.

Partnering with Fisker is California-based technology firm Quanergy, which is developing the LIDAR used for autonomous driving.

The Emotion uses five LIDAR sensors integrated into the body and "it's the only LIDAR with no moving parts," said Quanergy CEO Louay Eldada.

The launch by Fisker's new company comes after a high-profile bankruptcy by Fisker Automotive.

Before launching his own venture and the Fisker Karma, Fisker designed vehicles including the BMW Z8 and Aston Martin DB89.